


where were we...

by paranormalbouquet



Category: Tiny Meat Gang (Band)
Genre: Gen, Male-Female Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22208218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paranormalbouquet/pseuds/paranormalbouquet
Summary: Kelsey and Noel had this thing where every once in a while, they just went out for drinks with each other and tried to catch up on life from both sides. These nights were never scheduled, they just came about whenever they were both free and not traveling. Just a simple text from one of them,wanna go out tonight?
Relationships: Noel Miller & Kelsey Kreppel
Comments: 22
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> dedicated to anya and star. y’all mean the world to me.  
> enjoy this work about a beautiful little friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> updated may 22, 2020:  
> my friend eris drew a beautiful piece of artwork that is based on this fic so that's what this new chapter 2 business is about lmao. i guess if you didn't see this on the tag on the first go around, i hope you enjoy hehe but if you did read the first go around, then you can go to chapter 2 to see the piece that eris drew for me !!! :)

“So, how are you doing?” was the first thing she said to break into their night together.

Kelsey and Noel had this thing where every once in a while, they just went out for drinks with each other and tried to catch up on life from both sides. These nights were never scheduled, they just came about whenever they were both free and not traveling. Just a simple text from one of them,  _ wanna go out tonight? _

These nights didn’t happen that often either. Partially because both of them were fairly busy and the other half was because if they do have free time, they spend it with their significant others or being creative. Nevertheless, they truly did enjoy each other’s company. Noel found it very easy to talk with Kelsey, her being a natural outgoing conversationalist, and Kelsey was very intrigued not only by Noel’s dry sense of humor that made her laugh, but by how he viewed the world and his unique take on situations, past, present, and future. Conversations between them came very easily and spending some time away from the people they were with on a regular basis proved to be very refreshing. 

Now here, after Kelsey arrived at the bar and greeted Noel with a hug, their night wrote itself. 

“I’m doing really good, actually,” Noel replied with a smile that Kelsey quickly reciprocated. “But, first things first, lemme buy you a drink.”

Noel flagged down the middle-aged-woman bartender who was the owner of the place. This being their regular bar, both having been here countless times with their significant others and friends, the bartender knew exactly what Kelsey wanted. She confirmed she got the drink order with a wink and Kelsey softly smiled back at her. 

“How are  _ you _ doing these days?” Noel asked her as she watched her drink being made. 

“Great! For real great,” she responded, nodding slightly to accentuate her reply. “Well, I’m tired, actually,” she laughed out, “but it’s fine. Chili has just been—” the bartender came over with her drink and placed it in front of Kelsey with a kind smile. “Thank you,” Kelsey interrupted herself, an appreciative grin on her face towards the woman. “He’s just been a lot lately,” she took a sip of her drink. “Ooh, that’s good.”

“I can imagine,” Noel replied. “Must be hard taking care of two animals in that household,” he said, giggling at his own joke before he could even fully get the sentence out.

“Oh, yeah,” Kelsey agreed, going along with the joke. “One of them wants to eat and fuck all the time and the other shits and pisses everywhere. Rough times, I tell you.”

Noel threw his head back in laughter, basking in being in the presence of her humor again. “Rough times,” he repeated lightly. “We had our fair share of shit to deal with when we got Ollie since he was a rescue. We didn’t have to deal with potty training, but his poor little brain just got fucked up by the streets and so we actually, still to this day, have to work with him on some shit,” Kelsey responded with a little bottom lip pout as Noel took a sip from his beer. “Like, just the other day when Cody and I were filming the podcast, I was telling him about how Ollie can’t stand the sound of an audience like if we’re watching a match or a game or something. Must be something that ingrained itself into his little head and he just can’t get it out. He’ll just dip and go lay on our bed or something.”

“Aww, poor guy,” she sipped on her drink again, intertwining her fingers around the glass once she sat it down on the table. 

“Yeah, well I guess it’s good I have a dog with a fucked up brain because mine is too so,” Noel remarked and Kelsey chuckled. 

“We still kinda have yet to figure out how our little dude’s brain fully works because he’s still just a hyper little puppy,” she smiled thinking about a time when Chili was running around in his little fenced-in area in their living room at lightspeed for whatever reason and ended up crashing right into his bed and bouncing right off. “He’s growing really fast though. Cody told me it was crazy seeing him after those ten days he was gone because of how much he’d grown.”

“Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, he mentioned that the other day too,” Noel replied, polishing his beer off and calling the bartender over again for another.

“Damn, what  _ don’t _ you guys talk about on the podcast?” Kelsey asked.

“You don’t even wanna fuckin’ know, Kels,” he laughed out, mouthing a “thank you” to the bartender for the refill. 

“No, go for it. Shoot. I wanna hear,” she sounded so amused that he had to indulge her.

“Okay, okay. Well, recently there’s been these attacks that we like to call shiterrorism where increasing amounts of people are getting assaulted with p—”

“Goddamnit, Noel,” she interrupted as she choked on her drink a little. “That’s fucking disgusting!” she let out, laughing.

“Hey, you wanted to know!” he defended himself, taking another drink from his glass. “No, but for real. I don’t know if I ever told you about this, and I’m kicking myself that I didn’t until now,” he giggled his words out, “but, a little over a year ago, he told me that story of when he was being a dumbass and didn’t close out of discord and you came into the room and—” 

“Oh, nooo,” Kelsey let out, pulling her hands up to her face. Noel started laughing again, remembering just the way Cody told the story, so nervous and fidgety.

“And like you came and sat on his lap and he said y’all were doing inappropriate shit too and,” he almost doubled over in his chair recalling the incident, “and I asked him, ‘cause he told me you two use this stupid voice with each other—”

“Oh my god!” she yelled into her hands. “He told you that?!” she asked turning towards him with a giant embarrassed smile on her face. 

“Yeah!” Noel let out a high pitched cackle as he leaned back on the stool he was sitting on. “Yeah, I asked him what the voice was and he told me, he said he wasn’t gonna tell me. So, do you wanna tell me what it was so I can clown the shit outta him the next time I see him?”

“God! Noel, no! What the fuck!” she laughed out, not quite believing what she was hearing. “As much as I would love to see you clown the shit out of him, I’m not telling you shit, dude.” 

Noel just chuckled, pleased. He wasn’t expecting an answer to his question, but he received the reaction he wanted from her.

“God, you know more about me from him telling you about me than from me telling you about myself,” she stated, finishing off her drink and waving for another.

“Maybe,” he shrugged. “And what do you know about me from Cody?” he asked smugly.

“Oh, don’t you worry, hun. He talks about you plenty if that’s what you wanna hear,” she thanked the bartender with a nod and took a gulp of her new drink. 

“Does he really? What does he say?” Noel asked with actual curiosity in his tone, maybe a little shocked that Cody talks about him but he would never admit that.

Kelsey smiled, her face taking on a beautiful, glowing pink from the alcohol now coursing through her system. “Well, in my personal opinion, I’ll just say you two have a very good friendship. You’re really good for him, Noel. Bring an element to his life that his other friends don’t bring,” she grinned genuinely at him then took another sip of her drink.

Noel was a little taken aback by her acknowledgment of his friendship with Cody. A warmth spread through his body reminding him of how loved he really was, how much of a role he played in other people's lives. The fact sometimes got lost in his cluttered brain and Kelsey was there to help him rediscover it again. That boy really did mean the whole world to him.

“Thank you, Kels. Really,” he told her, looking her straight in her bright blue eyes. “You know, I, uh,” he gazed down at his hands that were nursing his whatever number beer of the night, “I knew Cody before he met you and he was, I’m not gonna lie to you, a little bit of a mess, sleepin’ around and all that shit,” he looked back up at her. “When he started talking about this girl that he had a crush on, I knew it was gonna be a good one, a game-changer. You’re just as perfect for him, Kels.” 

Kelsey tilted her head slightly, sticking her bottom lip out in soft appreciation of the man sitting next to her and his kind words.

“Okay,” Kelsey took a big gulp of her drink, “God, we’re starting to sound like the presidents of the ‘Loving Cody Club’,” she laughed out and Noel chuckled beside her. “Enough of the soft shit. Now I kinda  _ wanna _ see Cody get clowned on by you.”

“Well, just swing on by while we’re filming the podcast then,” he chuckled. “I clown that boy every week! And, added bonus, the lesbians’ll lose their shit if they see you on the pod,” he full-on laughed remembering the person that asked them to bring out Kelsey and Aleena during the DC show and what he replied to them:

_ “Are you a lesbian? I always hear lesbians threatening to steal our girlfriends.” _

Kelsey cracked up right alongside him. “Oh, that’s right! The lesbians! Well, then I guess I’ll  _ have _ to stop by sometime,” they both took a drink as their laughter died down. “I’ll have to find a time that works. I’ve actually been kinda busy lately with our new puppy and work for a while now.”

“Oh,” Noel’s face took on a surprised look, “you're working again?”

“Hell yeah!” she let out excitedly. “I’m back teaching.”

“Damn, good for you. What made you wanna go back to it?” he asked, finishing off yet another beer. Kelsey must’ve seen it in his face, his questioning whether or not to call for another, so she made up his mind for him by waving down the bartender again.

“Another beer for him please and change it up for me a bit, want something fruity and strong,” she asked the woman politely.

“You got it,” she replied and just as she was turning away, Kelsey spoke up again.

“And a round of shots for us, please. Surprise us,” she added with a grin and the woman winked back at her.

She turned towards Noel who had a wide-eyed look on his face, his mouth hanging open slightly. 

“Oh, shut up, Noel. Come on, let’s have some fun,” she persuaded him, nudging him with her elbow. 

He looked down into his lap, shaking his head and chuckling at the woman sitting next to him. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer, so— “Okay, fuck it,” he looked back at her, excitement in her eyes. “Bring it on, sister,” —he went with it. 

Kelsey giggled, so easily victorious on the subject. “Where were we?”

“Uh…” he scanned his brain for their previous conversation. “Oh, you working again. What made you wanna go back?”

“Ah, yes. Well, I’d been thinking lately that, though I do love, like, making and posting videos and shit, I kinda missed the routine of having to go and, like, do something at a set time during the day, you know? Like, I realized I wanted that structure and sort of, like, normalcy again in my life. Plus, I mean, I really missed doing it. I adore the kids and, I don’t know, just gives me something else to focus on, which I like.”

“Hey, good for you, Kels,” Noel knocked her arm with the back of his hand softly. “Glad that you were able to recognize that you needed that in your life again.”

“Yeah, I’m happy,” Kelsey replied with a grin. 

The bartender came back with their respective drinks and placed shot glasses down right in front of them. Both of them watched as she filled up the glasses with peach flavored vodka.

“Enjoy,” she told the two with a smile, just then being called over by another person. 

Noel held up his shot glass and began a toast. “To, uh, dogs that shit and piss everywhere, jobs that make you happy, and uh… to Cody.”

The look Kelsey gave him was priceless. “We really cheers-ing to my boyfriend?”

“We’re cheers-ing to  _ our _ boyfriend,” he corrected her, the biggest smile on his stupid face. “Listen, without him, we wouldn’t be here together.”

“God…” Kelsey laughed out. “Don’t get all soft on me again, you bitch,” she raised her shot glass up. “Cheers.”

They both threw their shots back, Noel shaking his head to help nurse it down his throat and Kelsey scrunching up her face as she felt the heat hit her stomach immediately.

“Now, where were we…”

—

One too many shots later and a few more glasses of their respective drinks on both sides and they were both absolutely plastered. Noel was sitting on his stool with his face in his hands, tears streaming down his face and Kelsey had her hand on his shoulder, just nodding along to everything Noel happened to slur out.

“One, one time, Cody gave me, uh, a Jon and Vinny’s gift card,” he let out between sobs. “He’s so nice,” Noel’s voice pitched a little higher and he held out the last syllable of the word as his forehead fell to the table.

“I know, Noel. I know…” Kelsey comforted him while rubbing his shoulder and playing with the straw in her drink with her tongue.

“Another time,” he raised his head to look Kelsey in the eyes, tears still streaming down his face, “I, uh, I gave Cody a Quest bar ‘cause he had said before that he got jealous, you know, watching me eat mine. So I brought one for him once and he was soooo thankful,” his face scrunched up into a pout. “He was so happy,” Kelsey watched the tears as the ran down his cheeks.

“God, I know. He’s— he’s so wonderful,” She added. “We, Noel, we are so lucky to have that sweet boy.”

Noel nodded, wiping the tears out of his eyes.

“You know, one time,” Kelsey took a sip from her drink before she started talking again, “one time, Cody offered to go out and get tampons for me because I had just started my period and I felt like pure shit and you, you know what that man came home with? You know what he came home with?” she repeated just to hammer in her question. “That man came home, bless his fuckin’ heart,” she closed her eyes and held her hand up to her own heart, “he not only came back with the tampons I needed, but he came back with chocolate and flowers and he gave me ibuprofen and rubbed my back and feet for me and god, I love him so much.”

Noel nodded along. “That’s so nice of him, oh my god,” he finished off his beer.

“And Noel, his hair is so soft and his skin is so soft and he’s so nice and caring and treats me so well…” Kelsey trailed off. “God!” she said loudly, pounding her fists on the table. “And why the fuck is Aleena so gorgeous?! What the hell, Noel?!”

“No, I know!” Noel agreed, his eyes suddenly lighting up at the mention of his girlfriend. “I fucking know she is! That bitch I stole her from had  _ nothin’ _ on me!” his drunk ass tried to puff up his chest a little while sitting in his seat. It looked ridiculous but Kelsey egged him on.

“Hell yeah! Out of the fuckin’ way. Noel is comin’ to swoop your girl right up!” It wasn’t very funny but they thought it was hilarious as they both cackled at the prospect. “You know… I wouldn't be mad if we did a, like, a wife swap type situation but instead of, like, wife swap… We just like…” 

“You get Aleena and I get Cody for a night?” Noel finished her sentence with a shit-eating grin.

“Yes! Exactly! God… just… Noel,” she put her hand on his shoulder again, “just, she's so fucking pretty.”

“Fuck, I know. And I mean, Cody… He’s, he’s a pretty fuckin’ good looking dude. His face always looks so soft and cute and…” he trailed off, the drunken wheels in his head turning. “I wonder what he looks like on his knees…” Noel blurted out.

“Oh my god, so good,” she nodded and took the last few sips from her drink, “I promise you, so goddamn beautiful,” she paused. “He looks pretty good under me too,” And Noel gave her this look. A look that can only be described as partially shocked and maybe potentially a little turned on. She raised her eyebrows a few times at him and he smirked back at her.

"So you've thought about it?" Kelsey let out looking smug as hell.

"Who the fuck hasn’t, Kelsey?" he wheezed out a laugh and she shrugged, giggling right beside him.

Comfortable silence hit for a second until Noel spoke up again.

“How many shots have you had?” he asked her, intention in his voice but she wasn’t quite sure for what reason.

“I don’t fuckin’ know.”

“Well, I better take another for good measure then. Just to make sure I drink more than you,” his intention coming out clear in that sentence. 

“Oh fuckin’ yeah right,” Kelsey mocked him. “You’re the lightest-weight I’ve ever met. You take two shots and you’re seeing stars.”

“Oh, shut the fuck up. I am not,” Noel retorted.

“Yes you are, my man,” she insisted. “You’d drop dead before you could take what I have in my system right now.”

“Oh yeah, well,” he raised his hand to get the bartender’s attention, “Can I get another shot over here, please?”

“God, you’re so stupid, Noel,” she sputtered out while laughing. “Make it another over here, please.”

“Fuck you, Kelsey,” he snarked. “Make it two for me.”

Just then, Kelsey pulled out her phone and fumbled around until she found Cody’s name in her favorites list and was ringing his phone. “Hi, Cody,” she paused. “Hi. Well, Noel here is trying to out drink me in takin’ shots and he’s literally gonna end up fuckin’ dead tonight if someone doesn’t stop him. And he’s not fuckin’ listening to me so if you—”

Noel snagged the phone out of Kelsey’s hand. “No, I’m fuckin’ not, Cody. I can handle it. I’m a grown ass adult.”

“Give me my phone back, Noel,” she tried to grab it back from him but the more she tried, the more he twisted his body away from her making it harder to reach.

“No, I wanna talk to him,” Noel told Kelsey, lightly slapping her hands away. That didn’t stop her from grabbing any part of him to try to get her phone back. “Cody, tell her to back off.”

“Give me it back, asshole!”

“No! He’s my best friend!”

“He’s my boyfriend!?!” 

“Bros before hoes, Kels!” he shouted, looking her straight in the eyes with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Fuck you just call me?!” Kelsey yelled in his ear with a giant smile plastered on her face.

They could both hear Cody laughing on the other end of the line. 

“I’m coming to get you two,” Cody said over the phone, still laughing. “You’ve had enough fun for tonight and I don’t trust you guys with anything right now.”

—

Cody walked into the bar and it took no time at all finding the two of them because of the ruckus they were causing. Kelsey looked around and the second she laid eyes on Cody, she couldn’t contain herself.

“Cody!!” she belted out, holding out the last syllable of his name. 

“Oh my god, Cody!!” Noel joined Kelsey at the same loud, obnoxious tone as Cody walked over to the two of them.

“Hi,” Cody let out simply and softly, completely opposite of their energy right now. 

“It’s so good to see you, honey! We were just talking about how much we love you!!” Kelsey squealed out excitedly.

“Oh good. Was that before or after you guys started fighting about how much Noel was drinking?” Cody asked them. Both started cracking up laughing, their drunk brains not really comprehending what Cody had asked them. “God, okay let’s get you guys home.”

—

In the car, they were both giggling and whispering like school children in the back seat, Cody wondering just what the fuck they could be conspiring or even talking about with how plastered they both really were. 

“I swear to god if either of you vom in my car…” Cody left the punishment up to interpretation even though neither of them would be doing any interpreting any time soon. They both started cackling and then Noel broke open his voice so that Cody could hear it.

“Why is Cody so annoying?” he directed his question at Kelsey, unable to keep his giggles inside himself.

“Fuck, I know. What the hell?” Kelsey replied, making eye contact with Cody in the rearview mirror. 

“Guys, I’m literally right here,” Cody stated. And with that, they died laughing.

“It’s a joke, Cody!” Kelsey exclaimed.

“Cody, we love you!!” Noel shouted from the back seat as Kelsey leaned over against him, doubling over in laughter.

—

Cody pulled into the parking lot of Noel’s apartment and paused for a second, wondering what he should do. He pulled out his phone and chose Aleena from his recent calls page and the phone started ringing. 

“Hey, Cody. What’s up,” she asked. 

“Hi, Aleena. How’s your night going?” Cody asked, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he still heard shuffling and giggles coming from the back seat.

“Pretty good, actually. And you?” 

“Well, I have our idiots in the back seat of my car because they decided to drink themselves to oblivion tonight,” Cody informed her, a smile in his tone.

“Well, good for them! Must’ve been a fun night,” Aleena laughed.

“Oh, for sure,” Cody agreed. “But, we have a bit of a dilemma. One, I don’t trust Noel getting up to your apartment by himself. And two, I don’t trust Kelsey alone in the car if I try and help get Noel up to you.”

“Ah, yes, I see. So, you’re asking me to get out of bed, where I was comfortably reading a book just now, to come and help get a drunk idiot out of the back of your car?” she clarified with him, already pulling the covers off herself and sliding on a pair of sweatpants.

“Uh-huh,” Cody chuckled back to her.

“I’ll be right down.”

—

“Did you have fun tonight?” Aleena asked Noel as they laid in bed, his head resting on her chest and her fingers running through his hair. 

“I did, I did. I actually learned that, uh, Kelsey wouldn't mind hookin’ up with you,” Noel mumbled out, only partially coherent due to Aleena coaxing him to sleep. 

“Oh really?” she asked, not really all that surprised.

“Yeah… That’s kinda hot, actually,” he let out just above a whisper as he nuzzled in closer to her. 

“God, Noel,” she lightly smacked him on the shoulder and he chuckled, muffled by her chest. 

“I love you,” he sighed into her skin.

“I love you too, but you gotta get off me. I don’t want you puking on me,” she explained. He looked up at her and let his pout lip out. “Nope, the pouty boy look isn’t gonna work tonight,” she told him, attempting to shove him away, his grip only getting stronger the more she pushed him away. “Fine. You’re so annoying,” she smiled as she placed a kiss on his forehead.

—

“So, did you have fun tonight?” Cody asked, his arm around Kelsey’s waist trying to keep her upright as he walked them to their apartment. 

“Yeah,” she replied simply. 

“So… what did you talk about?” he asked, regripping her hip to make sure she didn’t fall and brushing a piece of hair out of her face that he noticed had fallen in her eyes. 

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you,” she poked his abs and he recoiled a bit with a giggle. “You’re cute. Love you.”

“Love you too.”


	2. artwork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> my beautiful and lovely friend eris on twitter (@codelmillers) drew this absolute masterpiece of artwork based on this fic on mine! and i just gotta say she did soo soooo well with it and captured the fic so good. thanks again, girlie and love u so much<33 go check her out, give her a follow, all that bc she deserves all the love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didn't know how else to share this piece without putting it in another chapter so i guess enjoy lmao. this is also a nice little reboot of this fic bc from recent developments (cody's twitch stream), noel was actually the one that kinda pushed cody and kelsey together so his power. just further confirming that kelsey and noel are on the same wavelength;) LMAO   
> anyways enjoy this physical embodiment of one of my fave things i've written ;)

**Author's Note:**

> f1esbian on twitter


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